By Clemente Lisi - NEW YORK, NY (Jul 5, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Talk about putting on a fireworks show. A young US team cruised to an easy win on the Fourth of July in Seattle, overpowering Grenada 4-0 at the Gold Cup.
Just six days after the heartbreaking loss to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final, coach Bob Bradley assembled a relatively inexperienced team for its Gold Cup defense. You wouldn’t know it from watching the team play against Grenada.
Although they had only a few days of practice together, the Americans looked like a cohesive unit, gelling at just the right time against a very weak opponent. Grenada started the night needing to prevent the US from scoring while hoping they could get a break on the other end. Instead, it was a strong night for the US attack.
Freddy Adu, who traveled to South Africa but never played during the USA’s amazing Confederations Cup run, putting the Americans ahead after just seven minutes on a pass from Robbie Rogers. Midfielder Stuart Holden, making his US debut, doubled the lead in the 31st minute, again on an assist from Rogers, and the game was all but over before halftime.
The US, ranked No. 12 in the latest FIFA rankings, outmatched, outplayed and outperformed Grenada in every part of the field -- outshooting the lowly Spice Boyz a whopping 25-3 before a pro-US crowd of about 15,000 at Quest Field.
In the second half, the US could have sat on the lead but wisely chose not too. Putting the game away was something that had eluded them just last Sunday against Brazil, and Bradley wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
“We said at halftime that there is a professional way to finish this game that involves discipline and knowing to respect the opponent, but in a good smart way knowing how to finish the game,” Bradley told reporters at a news conference following the game. “We also understand that this is the first round and there are three games to play.”
Bradley played a 4-3-1-2 formation with enough support in the middle of the field to keep both the defense and offense satisfied and allow Grenada to do a lot of running even though the US was the one who astutely maintained possession for large chunks of the game.
Rogers made it 3-0 in the 60th minute and Charlie Davies, one of only a handful of players who were on the Confederations Cup roster, tallied the final goal eight minutes after that for the 4-0 rout. It was Davies’ third goal in just 10 US appearances.
Seven of the 11 starters entered the match with a combined 11 appearances among them - with goalkeeper Troy Perkins playing in just his second game ever for the US – as Bradley revamped his squad in order to give the regular starters a rest and test new players ahead of next year’s World Cup.
As for the highlights, Perkins did a good job stopping Grenada from getting on the scoreboard, although their three attempts were relatively weak. If he continues to play well at the Gold Cup, Perkins could be a choice for next summer's World Cup roster as a sub behind starter Tim Howard and back-up Brad Guzan.
Right back Steve Cherundolo, who had been sidelined with a hip injury for most of the year, was the only regular starter in the lineup. He did a solid job in the back during the 60 minutes he played (later substituted for defender Brad Evans) and should get progressively better and more mobile as the Gold Cup progresses over the next two weeks.
Adu scored the goal and showed a lot of hustle in midfield. Bradley should be happy with his performance against Grenada. Even better if Adu finds a way to get minutes at club level.
As for the Americans in general, scoring four against Grenada helped bolster their goal differential. Like the coach said, a professional job thinking about the long-term as well as what happened last night. Given that Honduras only beat Haiti 1-0 in the day’s other game, goal difference could give the US an edge. The US plays Honduras on Wednesday at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, an opponent the Americans know well given their history facing off during past World Cup Qualifiers.
On a day when most Americans fired up their barbeques and ate hot dogs until their bellies were full, the US team gave fans yet another cause to celebrate on our Nation’s birthday.
“When you represent your country on Independence Day it carries a special meaning,” said Bradley. “You feel it when they play the national anthem and you absolutely feel it when you look into the stands and you see people wearing red, white and blue. In that regard, it's a very good day.”
Clemente Lisi is the author of “A History of the World Cup: 1930-2006.” Contact him at: CAL4477@yahoo.com
